Rick Rinderle, CME/H, CMP
“Rick Rinderle, Senior Meetings and Events Planner at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, will round off his first year as an Active Board Member at TS2 in July. Rinderle talked about his role at Novartis Pharmaceuticals and the importance of being a contributing member at TSEA, describing his role at Novartis Pharmaceuticals as “rewarding and exciting.” Rinderle has extensive experience with over 12 years in international events and exhibits marketing as he has produced events in Europe North & South America, Australia, and Asia –including China, Japan, Korea, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Singapore.
“I cover meeting solutions for internal clients and face-to-face meeting opportunities with healthcare professionals, sales, incentive events, and corporate VIP events among others,” he said.
Beginning at AT&T as the Director of Senior Exhibits, Rinderle admitted that his venturing into the trade show field was not, initially, a chosen one.
“I got an interview with Corporate Marketing at AT&T,” said Rinderle. “I ended up meeting the Exhibit Director and it seemed to be a good fit. I had wanted to meet with the Vice President of Marketing, but this position seemed more fun.”
Originally from San Diego, Rinderle said that he began taking classes at TSEA to both learn about trade shows and to build his personal network. He said that because of his involvement with TSEA, he wanted to contribute back through becoming an active member of the Board of Directors.
“Although I’m not as involved in trade shows as I used to be, I’ll be doing 50-75 private corporate events this year. My exhibit management experience will still come in handy.”
He then spoke about his first trade show experience alone, a thirteen-city road show for a private company. “I learned that no matter how much you plan a road show, which ideally should be the same event at each stop, every city was different and every city had different problems. You have to realize it is okay to have problems and make mistakes, but learn from them and don’t repeat them. If you don’t have a problem, then there is something wrong.”
Through his involvement with TSEA, Rinderle has built camaraderie with a set of professionals who are able to understand one another’s experiences on a day-to-day basis. He said this type of networking is important because “you may be expected to do things you don’t have the answer to, and being able to call on a network of professionals will help you.”
With this set of professionals to turn to for advice, Rinderle said that being a contributing member at TSEA is an important aspect in developing relationships with people as well as getting the most out of your experience with TSEA.
“Whatever people expect out of TSEA, they should also look at what they are willing to give. You need to be an active, involved member because they are the ones who drive the organization and provide the value.”